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Dimensions: measurements note 19 by 14 1/2 in.; 48.2 by 36.8 cm.

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Notes: This beautiful and well preserved painting is a rare work on copper by Sassoferrato. This composition, known in other variants, with or without hands held in prayer, was one of the artist's favorites: particularly close, and varying in only the slightest details and dimensions, is the version at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bolognaυ1 and another painting recently sold at auction, Milan, Sotheby's.υ2 Mary, humble and concentrated in her thoughts, is distinguished by a simplicity in the choice of color and tone, principally the contrast between the warm tonality of her hair, which falls lightly and flowingly past the shoulders, and the neutral background which is juxtaposed against the vibrant blue of the veil. The colors appear further enhanced by the sheen of the impasti, which in turn is accentuated by the smooth copper support. As noted by many, the face of the Virgin, tilted toward her right shoulder with half-closed eyes, is a type explored by Albrecht Dürer, specifically in his Madonna with Pears of 1512, from which many reproductions circulated around Italy, and by Perugino in his sweet virgins with small lips and doe-like eyes. 1 See A. Salvoni, Giovan Battista Salvi il Sassoferrato, exhibition catalogue, Sassoferrato, June 29 -October 14, 1990, p. 49, cat. no. 4, reproduced.
2 Milan, Sotheby's, May 30, 2006, lot 8, reproduced.